Illness On Holiday In Egypt

A mum from Liverpool and her 11-year-old son were taken ill during a stay at the four-star Tropicana Sea Beach Hotel in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

Tracey Madden and her son Callum both fell ill just days into their two week stay at the hotel and say they were not the only ones to suffer.

Since returning to the UK, Ms Madden has instructed travel law specialists at Irwin Mitchell to act in recovering compensation from tour operator Thomson.

Ms Madden said: “Like many people we had to work really hard to pay for our holiday. We had never been away for two weeks before and it was supposed to be special.

“But, instead of enjoying our well earned break, by the third day of the holiday we had both fallen ill and we spent most of our time feeling very sick. At one stage it was so bad that we were confined to our rooms. It was absolutely awful, and watching Callum become so poorly so quickly was really frightening. I had to rush him to the hotel doctor, his symptoms were so bad and we are both suffering as a result even now. How can Thomson think it is acceptable to send people there?

“We were not the only ones who were ill either. So many of the people I spoke to were suffering too. We researched the hotel when we got back and found loads of complaints on travel sites that were similar to ours, as well as complaints about illness. I am seriously concerned about their hygiene practices and the health of people that are travelling there throughout the summer. Needless to say I won’t be going back again with my family!”

Ms Madden said that the restaurant often served cold or undercooked food. She also reported dirty cutlery and uncovered buffets that attracted flies.

Helen Cheshire, a travel law expert at Irwin Mitchell said: “It is unacceptable that families who have worked hard to pay for their holidays should suffer because of inadequate health and safety precautions.

“Tour operators such as Thomson owe a duty of care to their customers and we urge them to review standards at this hotel so that other guests do not have to suffer.”